Petro Poroshenko Extends Ceasefire

BBC – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has extended a week-long ceasefire with pro-Russian separatists in the east for another three days.

He said he was hoping for progress on his peace plan.

Some rebel leaders in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions said they would observe the truce, but others rejected it.

Mr Poroshenko’s announcement came hours after he had signed a landmark EU trade pact – the issue that has been the trigger of the recent crisis.

He said it was a “historic” moment, but Russia warned of “consequences” and that Ukraine would split in two.

The deadline for the ceasefire to expire was Friday at 22:00 local time (19:00 GMT).

Separatists in the east held talks on Friday with mediators, including Ukraine’s former President Leonid Kuchma, Moscow’s ambassador in Ukraine and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).